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NASA have made the decision to open up a new submission to everyone across social media, as people can now enter their details into a form that lets you fly your very own name around the Moon during the next Artemis mission.
Almost everyone who had dreams of becoming an astronaut and exploring the stars has had to abandon that dream as they grew older, and it has even become an impossibility for astronauts themselves to visit areas that they probably grew up aspiring towards.
Some would call it an embarrassing last half of a century for NASA as financial and regulatory barricades have prevented the space agency from sending any astronauts onto the Moon's surface since 1972.
While efforts were progressing towards a mission that would take humans to Mars for the very first time, a recent u-turn from the Trump administration has meant that the Moon is now the focus once more, and that's opened up a unique opportunity for everybody else on Earth too.
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Shared by the official NASA account on X, people can now submit their name to be included on a memory card during the upcoming Artemis II mission in early 2022, which would allow them to fly themselves (in name only) around the Moon.
"Artemis II is launching in early 2026. You coming with? Now you can," explains the post from NASA. "Submissions are open to fly your name around the Moon. Your name will be recorded on a memory card that will then be stowed inside the Orion spacecraft."
While it definitely isn't the same as going into outer space yourself – as that seems to only be reserved for trained astronauts and the ultra wealthy at this point in time – it's a fascinating opportunity that you won't want to miss out on.
Anyone that's interested will just need to head to the official submission page, where they can enter their first and last name alongside a unique pin code between 4 and 7 digits that will give you access to your 'boarding pass'.
Many people in the replies to NASA's post were wondering if the registration process comes with a cost because it almost seems too good to be true, but thankfully it's completely free to sign up, giving you no reason not to enter your name.
Once you've signed up you'll get your very own boarding pass, which shows your name, the rocket and spacecraft that you'll be traveling on, where you'll be launching from, and the destination of travel.
The total milage of the journey is around 685,000 miles, which is roughly 27.5 times the distance it would take to travel around the Earth's equator, so your name is certainly getting its money's worth when it comes to travel.
